Climate and average weather in Copiapó
In Copiapó, the summers are warm, dry, and clear and the winters are mild and clear.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Copiapó typically varies from 6°C to 26°C, and is rarely below 2°C or above 28°C. January is the hottest month of the year, while July is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Copiapó for warm-weather activities is from early January to late December.
- Hottest
- Jan
- 26°
- Coldest
- Jul
- 6°
- Wettest
- May
- 8 mm
- Driest
- Jan
- 0 mm
- Rain / yr
- 32 mm
- 5 wet days
- Daylight
- 10.3–13.7 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 381 m
- 27.4°S
- Clearest
- Mar
- 7% cloud
Copiapó is city in northern Chile.
- Air quality
- Moderate
- PM2.5 12.3 µg/m³ · 2019
- Density
- 3,769/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 1744
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Copiapó weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early January to late December.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Copiapó, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
Temperatures in Copiapó stay fairly even through the year, without a distinct hot or cool season. The warmest month is January, with an average high of 26°C and low of 16°C; the coolest is July, with an average low of 6°C and high of 20°C.
Days typically run about 12°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 14°C) in July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 26 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| Avg low (°C) | 16 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 15 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | 16 |
| Feb | 26 | 16 |
| Mar | 25 | 15 |
| Apr | 23 | 13 |
| May | 22 | 9 |
| Jun | 20 | 7 |
| Jul | 20 | 6 |
| Aug | 21 | 8 |
| Sep | 22 | 10 |
| Oct | 23 | 12 |
| Nov | 24 | 14 |
| Dec | 25 | 15 |
Average hourly temperature in Copiapó
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on January afternoons, near 26°C, and coldest before dawn in July, near 6°C.
Copiapó weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26° / 16° | 0 | 0 | 13.5 | 9.2 |
| Feb | 26° / 16° | 0 | 0.1 | 13 | 9.3 |
| Mar | 25° / 15° | 5 | 0.3 | 12.2 | 9.5 |
| Apr | 23° / 13° | 2 | 0.3 | 11.4 | 9.5 |
| May | 22° / 9° | 8 | 1 | 10.7 | 8.6 |
| Jun | 20° / 7° | 6 | 0.8 | 10.3 | 8.3 |
| Jul | 20° / 6° | 6 | 1.2 | 10.4 | 8.3 |
| Aug | 21° / 8° | 3 | 0.6 | 11 | 8.7 |
| Sep | 22° / 10° | 2 | 0.4 | 11.8 | 9.1 |
| Oct | 23° / 12° | 0 | 0.2 | 12.7 | 9.5 |
| Nov | 24° / 14° | 0 | 0.1 | 13.4 | 9.7 |
| Dec | 25° / 15° | 1 | 0.1 | 13.7 | 9.5 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Copiapó gets about 32 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is mostly dry, and that barely changes with the seasons — rain is spread fairly evenly through the year.
May is the wettest month by volume, with 8 mm over about 1 wet days; January is the driest, with 0 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rain days | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 1 | 0 |
| Apr | 1 | 0 |
| May | 3 | 1 |
| Jun | 3 | 1 |
| Jul | 4 | 1 |
| Aug | 2 | 1 |
| Sep | 1 | 0 |
| Oct | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 0 | 0 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Copiapó collects about 32 mm of rain across 5 wet days — roughly 3 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. May is the wettest month with 8 mm, while January is the driest at just 0 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 60% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rain days | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 5 | 0 |
| Apr | 2 | 0 |
| May | 8 | 1 |
| Jun | 6 | 1 |
| Jul | 6 | 1 |
| Aug | 3 | 1 |
| Sep | 2 | 0 |
| Oct | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 1 | 0 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Copiapó, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows moderate seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around September 5 and lasts for 7.6 months, ending around April 23. The clearest month is March, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 96% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around April 24 and lasts for 4.4 months, ending around September 4. The cloudiest month is June, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 22% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 93 | 95 | 96 | 93 | 81 | 78 | 83 | 87 | 92 | 93 | 95 | 95 |
| Cloudier (%) | 7 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 19 | 22 | 17 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 5 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 93 | 7 |
| Feb | 95 | 5 |
| Mar | 96 | 4 |
| Apr | 93 | 7 |
| May | 81 | 19 |
| Jun | 78 | 22 |
| Jul | 83 | 17 |
| Aug | 87 | 13 |
| Sep | 92 | 8 |
| Oct | 93 | 7 |
| Nov | 95 | 5 |
| Dec | 95 | 5 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around January 1, brings about 13 h 42 min of light; the shortest, around June 6, only 10 h 18 min — a swing of roughly 3 h 24 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 13.5 | 13.0 | 12.2 | 11.4 | 10.7 | 10.3 | 10.4 | 11.0 | 11.8 | 12.7 | 13.4 | 13.7 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 7:04 | 7:27 | 7:45 | 8:01 | 8:18 | 8:33 | 8:34 | 8:15 | 7:40 | 7:06 | 6:45 | 6:46 |
| Sunset (PM) | 8:37 | 8:25 | 7:57 | 7:22 | 6:57 | 6:50 | 7:00 | 7:16 | 7:31 | 7:46 | 8:08 | 8:29 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13.5 | 7:04 | 8:37 |
| Feb | 13.0 | 7:27 | 8:25 |
| Mar | 12.2 | 7:45 | 7:57 |
| Apr | 11.4 | 8:01 | 7:22 |
| May | 10.7 | 8:18 | 6:57 |
| Jun | 10.3 | 8:33 | 6:50 |
| Jul | 10.4 | 8:34 | 7:00 |
| Aug | 11.0 | 8:15 | 7:16 |
| Sep | 11.8 | 7:40 | 7:31 |
| Oct | 12.7 | 7:06 | 7:46 |
| Nov | 13.4 | 6:45 | 8:08 |
| Dec | 13.7 | 6:46 | 8:29 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Copiapó averages about 26 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 20 and 29 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 7.4 months, from around Sep 12 to Apr 23. The sunniest month is March, with roughly 28 sunny days (brilliant).
The greyest month is May, down near 22 sunny days — about 24% fewer than the March peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 27 | 26 | 29 | 26 | 22 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 28 |
| Sky | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Bright | Bright | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | Brilliant |
| Feb | 26 | Brilliant |
| Mar | 29 | Brilliant |
| Apr | 26 | Brilliant |
| May | 22 | Bright |
| Jun | 21 | Bright |
| Jul | 23 | Brilliant |
| Aug | 25 | Brilliant |
| Sep | 25 | Brilliant |
| Oct | 27 | Brilliant |
| Nov | 28 | Brilliant |
| Dec | 28 | Brilliant |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Copiapó, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in January, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 0% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 98 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Comfortable (%) | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 98 | 2 |
| Feb | 97 | 3 |
| Mar | 98 | 2 |
| Apr | 99 | 1 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Wind in Copiapó is steady company: average speeds sit near 7 km/h — calm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | calm |
| Feb | 7 | calm |
| Mar | 7 | calm |
| Apr | 6 | calm |
| May | 6 | calm |
| Jun | 6 | calm |
| Jul | 7 | calm |
| Aug | 7 | calm |
| Sep | 7 | calm |
| Oct | 7 | calm |
| Nov | 7 | calm |
| Dec | 8 | calm |
Best time to visit Copiapó
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Copiapó throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around late December, Copiapó is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, Copiapó suits general outdoor tourist activities for most of the year, with a peak score in the first week of November.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 9.3 | 9.3 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 8.6 | 8.3 | 8.3 | 8.7 | 9.1 | 9.5 | 9.7 | 9.5 |
| Rating | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9.3 | ideal |
| Feb | 9.3 | ideal |
| Mar | 9.5 | ideal |
| Apr | 9.5 | ideal |
| May | 8.6 | ideal |
| Jun | 8.3 | ideal |
| Jul | 8.3 | ideal |
| Aug | 8.7 | ideal |
| Sep | 9.1 | ideal |
| Oct | 9.5 | ideal |
| Nov | 9.7 | ideal |
| Dec | 9.5 | ideal |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Copiapó for hot-weather activities is from early October to late April, with a peak score in the last week of January.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Copiapó, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around January (highs near 26°C), the essentials are light clothes and sun protection. In the cold season around July (highs near 20°C), pack a warm layer.
In January, Copiapó sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 16°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes.
Sea temperature near Copiapó
Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 54 km away) is warmest in February at about 19°C and coldest in August near 14°C.
The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 19 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19 | Cool |
| Feb | 19 | Cool |
| Mar | 18 | Cool |
| Apr | 17 | Cool |
| May | 16 | Cool |
| Jun | 15 | Cool |
| Jul | 15 | Bracing |
| Aug | 14 | Bracing |
| Sep | 14 | Bracing |
| Oct | 15 | Bracing |
| Nov | 16 | Cool |
| Dec | 17 | Cool |
UV index (midday) in Copiapó by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Copiapó peaks around January 20 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 5 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 15 | 15 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Extreme |
| Feb | 15 | Extreme |
| Mar | 13 | Extreme |
| Apr | 7 | Very high |
| May | 6 | High |
| Jun | 5 | Moderate |
| Jul | 5 | Moderate |
| Aug | 7 | High |
| Sep | 9 | Very high |
| Oct | 12 | Extreme |
| Nov | 13 | Extreme |
| Dec | 14 | Extreme |
Average hourly UV index in Copiapó
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in January the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 9 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 7 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 9 | 9 | 8 | 6.5 | 5 | 4 | 4.5 | 6 | 7 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 9 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 7 | 7 | 6 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 | 4.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | 7 |
| Feb | 9 | 7 |
| Mar | 8 | 6 |
| Apr | 6.5 | 3.5 |
| May | 5 | 0 |
| Jun | 4 | 0 |
| Jul | 4.5 | 0 |
| Aug | 6 | 2.5 |
| Sep | 7 | 4.5 |
| Oct | 8.5 | 6 |
| Nov | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Dec | 9 | 7 |
Air quality in Copiapó by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Copiapó is worst in August — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (January, 7 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Copiapó's WHO annual average of 12.3 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 9 | 8 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | Good |
| Feb | 8 | Good |
| Mar | 10 | Good |
| Apr | 16 | Moderate |
| May | 16 | Moderate |
| Jun | 14 | Moderate |
| Jul | 16 | Moderate |
| Aug | 17 | Moderate |
| Sep | 14 | Moderate |
| Oct | 13 | Moderate |
| Nov | 9 | Good |
| Dec | 8 | Good |
Growing season
Copiapó is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 99 | 98 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 99 | 0 |
| Jul | 98 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Copiapó banks about 2,683 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around January.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 337 | 304 | 309 | 241 | 165 | 100 | 85 | 134 | 184 | 243 | 270 | 310 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 337 |
| Feb | 304 |
| Mar | 309 |
| Apr | 241 |
| May | 165 |
| Jun | 100 |
| Jul | 85 |
| Aug | 134 |
| Sep | 184 |
| Oct | 243 |
| Nov | 270 |
| Dec | 310 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Copiapó receives about 6.9 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — intense — with a clear seasonal swing between 4.0 and 9.4 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.2 months, from around Sep 18 to Mar 25. The brightest month is December, averaging about 9.4 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is June, down near 4.0 kWh/m² — roughly 57% less than the December peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 9.1 | 8.4 | 7.3 | 5.9 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 5.3 | 6.8 | 8.1 | 9.1 | 9.4 |
| Level | Intense | Intense | Intense | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9.1 | Intense |
| Feb | 8.4 | Intense |
| Mar | 7.3 | Intense |
| Apr | 5.9 | Bright |
| May | 4.6 | Bright |
| Jun | 4.0 | Bright |
| Jul | 4.3 | Bright |
| Aug | 5.3 | Bright |
| Sep | 6.8 | Intense |
| Oct | 8.1 | Intense |
| Nov | 9.1 | Intense |
| Dec | 9.4 | Intense |
Where is Copiapó?
Copiapó sits at 27.4°S, 70.3°W, 381 m above sea level, in Chile. The nearest listed city is Caldera, 59 km away.
Topography around Copiapó
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Copiapó.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Copiapó has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 504 m around an average of 464 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,341 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,668 m.
The land around Copiapó is covered by bare terrain (55%) and artificial surfaces (43%) within 3 km, bare terrain (94%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (88%) within 80 km.
Chile travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type C / F / L
- 220 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 48% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $17,995
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.3 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 98%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 6.3
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 14.9
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- English
- Moderate
- EF EPI 517
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Copiapó (-27.3674°, -70.3322°, elevation 381 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).